Creative Liberty

The day after the Super Bowl was a day filled with endless criticism - and I am not talking about the game. Super Bowl commercials have become an event that sparks discussion and elicits anticipation. This year, many of the Super Bowl ads were disappointing, but there were a few that really made an impact. One ad that really stood out was the "It's halftime America" advertisement.

When evaluating this ad on a scale of effectiveness, one can see that it was relevant, powerful, emotional, sticky, and unique. Many people, however, had a negative view of this ad because it was seen as 'politically founded.' After hearing that, I wondered, what is wrong with that? The ad was developed to make a point and, guess what, it made that point. It is true that the world is converging, and that global culture is more realistic every day, but in truth, regardless of how the world changes, people will stay the same. This may seem like an interesting concept, but it is true. People hold onto their cultural values and even though we, as humans, may desire to all have iphones, or computers, or the next Harry Potter book, the way those items sit in our culture is vastly different than anywhere else in the world.

So what is wrong with a political message? It is halftime in America, and in all honesty, bringing some production back to America or highlighting the fact that American made is not only patriotic, but inspirational, it a powerful medium. Personally, I loved that ad, because for once a company wasn't saying "hey look at my product, aren't we great," but rather was bringing a sense of Americanism back to a country that has been lost in the fray. Americans are losing their sense of togetherness and with the upcoming election, we are more divided than ever. It is time that we remember our roots and that we stop criticizing ever little element and rather look at the bigger picture and discover that there is more to the world than our convoluted sense of self.

The most depressing part about all of this, is that it took a car ad to ignite conversation and make people really think about the world today.